A/N So have have you all been? I haven't updated for so long! Gomen
This chapter's got another romance pairing introduced~ I still haven't decided on which pairings to end my fic with but it's comng.
Disclaimer: I don't own FT!
Chapter 3 - Princes and Pills
They had been running around the gardens for three minutes until Wendy tripped over a rock and hit the tree in front of her. "OUCH!"
"Wendy, are you alright!?" Levy raced over to her and observed her forehead, which was pink and slightly swelling. Wendy sat up and rubbed her forehead carefully. "That's gotta hurt," Levy said sympathetically.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Wendy stood up, her legs felt like jelly after all than running. "But anyways, we have to find Lucy."
"You should just sit down. I'll go find her," Levy prompted.
Nodding weakly, Wendy tried to calm her breathing down when suddenly Levy gasped. "Did you hear that?"
"What?"
"There it is again!" Levy put a finger to her lips and sure enough, there was the voice of Lucy talking quietly to someone else, someone male.
Levy beckoned for her to come look, parting the leaves of a plant to see beyond it.
And what they saw both scared them and shocked them.
Three and a half minutes earlier...
Lucy sniffed in her hiding place in the shade of a small tree. /Why was I so dumb? I thought I could at least have a chance with him!/
/But of course, what would he see in me?/ Sobbing harder now, she refused to think about who that lucky girl might be (and why she turned Natsu down). All she knew was that she herself wasn't good enough, not for Natsu anyways.
Suddenly she realized a voice was talking to her.
"Hey, Blondie," the voice said. It was deep and casual, with a tint of amusement.
Lucy recovered enough to wipe away a tear and say, "Don't call me a Blondie." Her eyes suddenly widened as she realized who she was talking to. "What're you doing here?" she asked, not caring that her voice sounded like she had a stuffy nose (because she did).
A dark eyed young man with blond hair jutting in all directions towered over her, a smirk clearly visible on his face. There was a thin, oblique scar above his right eye giving him a cocky look. "At the moment, talking to some crying girl that won't even tell me her name."
"It's your fault for calling me Blondie," Lucy sniffed.
"Aw, come on now, don't get all puffed up," he grinned, bending his knees and resting his arms on his thighs. "What's up, Blondie?"
"Just... don't... call me Blondie!" Lucy snapped at him. For a moment he looked surprised, then the shock passed over his face and he returned it with a cocky grin.
"It's all right, you can tell Sting the Almighty!" He jabbed a thumb at his chest. His muscular, bare chest, covered only by a dark blue vest with a thick fur trimming. Lucy felt the heat rising to her cheeks despite not even knowing him.
"Uhh, errmm, do you mind covering up?" Lucy waved a hand hesitantly at him, squeezing her eyes shut.
Which turned out to be not a very good idea because when she opened one eye tentatively, his face was a LOT closer.
As in the VERY-CLOSE-IT'S-IMPOSSIBLE-TO-BREATH kinda close.
He opened his mouth. "There is a fleck of dust in your eye," he commented tiredly.
"EEEP!" She backed up hurriedly, although when she unexpectedly hit a tree the air was knocked out of her.
He put on a look of confusion. "What...? OH, right." 'Sting' (that's what Lucy supposed his name was) chuckled awkwardly. "Sheesh, Fairy Tail girls are so shy."
Lucy gave him a Death Stare.
"Okay okay I got it! So, really, why were you crying?"
"I was not crying," Lucy lied futilely.
"Haha, very funny. You can tell me what's wrong, or you can cry in vain with no one to talk to," Sting hoped she would choose the first option. One, because he was a nice guy...at heart... yeah... and two, she was kinda cute.
"Fine," the girl complied. "I just found out the guy I liked was rejected by this girl he likes... so obviously I was never up to his standards..." she trailed off, her voice cracking and betraying the tough-girl act she had put on just seconds before.
"I see..." /Shoulda known she was interested in somebody. What else would a high school girl be crying for, other than chipped nails and dead puppies?/ He racked his brain for a good answer and came up with nothing.
Lucy observed him thinking, wondering why on earth he had this strange, desperate look on his face. She liked his smirk better. /What a second WHAT!? I do not like anybody's smirk. Except for Natsu's./ Just thinking his name made her burst into tears again and this time Sting came over. Without an invitation she buried her head into his shoulder, memories of school trips and karaokes and lunches spent with Natsu. /But the whole time he had been interested in someone else.../
Lucy let herself fall asleep with her thoughts, barely aware that she was drifting off in the arms of a mere stranger.
Present Time
Levy and Wendy simultaneously gasped as they watched Lucy doze away with her head in some guy's lap and her hair being stroked gently. For a stunning moment they couldn't move, then they pulled their eyes away and looked at each other with confusion.
"Who is that guy?" Wendy asked.
"I don't know, he's not a Fairy Tail student, he's got the wrong uniform," Levy observed.
Wendy took another look and grimaced. "That's not even a uniform at all, that's a - oh, that's scandalous." Her entire face turned red at seeing his abs.
Levy had to laugh at her new friend's reaction. "Question is, what's he doing on FT grounds? And why is Lucy's head in his lap?"
Both bluenettes contemplated the disturbing scene before agreeing to barge in, wake up their blonde friend and tow her back to the school buildings.
But when they turned back to get her, the male student (?) had already carried her away. Seething, the two chased after him and smashed him from behind.
He flipped to the side and caught himself on balance, Lucy still in his arms. "Who the heck are you two!?"
Levy crossed her arms. "I think we have more right to ask you that. Why are you here at Fairy Tail and why is Lucy in your arms?"
Lucy's POV
Lucy felt like she was floating in a long bright bubble, memories of the past year floating past her. The first one she recognized was Natsu, taking her hand and inviting her to enroll in Fairy Tail High. Then the first school fight she witnessed, so many people taking part in it and others that welcomed her as she watched. She saw many laughs and smiles on the faces of all her friends, and recognized Natsu feeding on her first attempt at making takoyaki. It hadn't turned out well but the smile he gave her made her feel like that didn't matter.
Suddenly the gravity shifted and she felt a throbbing pain in her nose, as if her sinuses were shouting at her to get her attention.
"-CY, LUCY!" /Who... What?/
"Wake up, Lu-chan!" /Levy?/
Lucy opened her eyes, the daylight burning her pupils because it was so bright. She looked down instead...
...and realized with a shock that Sting was carrying her bridal style.
Her two friends, Levy and Wendy, had their hands on their hips and were presently demanding Sting to "let Lucy go".
"You're a stranger and you shouldn't be on Fairy Tail grounds, much less carrying one of our students," Wendy was saying.
"PUT HER DOWN!" Levy shouted.
"Not a chance," Sting snickered.
"What in the world, Sting, just put me down!" Lucy demanded.
The male looked down with a smug look plastered on his face. "Oh, you're awake now huh? Took you long enough, Blondie."
Lucy rolled her eyes at the nickname. "You can't call me that because you're blond as well. Now drop me."
"If you wish, milady." He spread out his arms and Lucy hit the ground. The blue-haired girls were instantly protesting and then asked repeatedly if she was all right.
"Yeah, thanks, I'm fine," Lucy smiled, then looked up at Sting, "No thanks to you."
"Gladly not received. Phew, gotta run now or my boss'll be in a fit about me. See you around, Blondie." Sting turned and strolled out of the gardens.
Lucy, Levy and Wendy watched as he left. "What a gentleman," Levy remarked drily.
Lucy just nodded.
-o0o-
It was deathly quiet when Sting returned to the warehouse. He knew without stepping in that they would be waiting for him and smiled in spite of himself. It would be interesting to see how She would react to his sudden disappearance.
He pushed open the door and stepped in. Sting's eyes adjusted easily to the darkness, with rays of light seeping weakly through two bullet-proof glass trapdoors in the ceiling. The whole room, as well as the rest of the warehouse, was designed in case of an attack, with heat-sensing, top-notch security devices co-managed by the She-Devil and the Minstrel. He smiled, counted:
Three.
Two.
ONE!
An arrow shot at him, aiming straight between his eyes. Sting ducked, dodged bullets triggered with silent blasts, stepped over traps and leaped over a growling mechanical hound, finally landing with two legs past the Trial Zone.
He dusted his pants and straightened. Safe.
His back slammed into the rear of the mechanical hound, earning him a scratch and a threatening growl. WHACK!
"Well well, where have YOU been all day?" Minerva swung her titanium bat with ease, thumping it on the ground.
"Around." Sting rubbed his forehead, already feeling the hard bruise and hot seared skin around it where her metal whacker had smashed him.
Years ago, when Minerva had created the Singe Technology, she had devised a weapon for her alone that was a deathly bat made of the strongest metal, set with diamonds and burning hotter than the sun, earning the title "She-Devil". At least he was still in one piece, she could be known to concuss and crack almost every bone in a person's body when she felt like it. Minerva twirled it around and stopped to caress her precious bat. "I'm sure you were more than 'around', Sting. Do you really want me to find out the hard way?"
Sting the Mighty winced under the glare of one of the few people that could make him scared (Sting: WHAT!? She's unnerving! Not SCARY!). A petite girl with short blue-white hair giggled from the shadows. "Don't be scared, Sting-sama."
/Yukino,/ he growled inwardly.
"So," Minerva said before he could reply, "Rufus was taking a lovely stroll around town today, and he came across a giant academy. Want to know who he saw, Sting?"
"Tch" was the answer. Minerva seemed unfazed.
"Guess," she prompted.
Sting rolled his eyes. "This is stupid. Look, I have some things to do. I'll just go n-"
"Sting," Minerva repeated in a warning voice.
"Fine, I'll play your stupid game. What did you say it was again?"
Minerva smiled. "An academy."
"An academy, huh? Are you sure? That sounds unlikely. Gee, I dunno. Was it, by any stupid chance, Fairy Tail?"
"Amusing, Sting." Minerva held up an envelope with four small paintings stuck messily inside. "After Rogue alerted us that you were going on campus without any permission, he and Rufus chased you and then Rufus painted out EXACTLY what he saw! I'll let you take a look," she plucked four small paintings out and lowered them for Sting. He didn't take them.
"Rufus!" Minerva snapped her fingers.
Sting glanced a moment at the pretentious smiling long-haired blond who was sitting in a corner working on yet another of his paintings. He had a talent for painting out everything he considered 'memorable' using his photographic memory. Rufus looked up innocently, his eyes already in a dream-like state. "Yes, Minerva-sama?"
"Could you please, please please be a dear and describe what your paintings portray?" Minerva asked sweetly. She held up the paintings for him.
"Sting walking into Fairy Tail, Sting meeting a crying dame, Sting caressing said dame, Sting carrying said dame like a princess." Rufus replied without batting an eye.
"I WAS NOT CARESSING HER!" The blond shouted, obviously annoyed. Yeesh, these no-good implying hooligans. Neither Rufus nor Minerva paid any attention to him.
"Really, Sting-sama, don't be a coward," Yukino smiled, waving around a set of keys that each unlocked her special weapons. "It's all right if you have feelings towards a pretty girl."
"She wasn't pretty!" (- big fat lie right there)
"Shut up and listen to the Master's daughter, Sting." A raven-haired, red-eyed young man emerged from an adjoining room.
"Rogue! What the hell- no, why were you following me?"
"You were two minutes late for our planned ransacking of the Warg Burglars HQ. How could I not look for you?"
"Nah, being tardy isn't that big a deal," Sting drawled. "Ya don't trust me?"
"You can take care of yourself. Furthermore, no Fairies would ever match up to a Sabertooth member. BUT you have this habit of always getting yourself into trouble and ruining everyone who comes along with you. If I let you run off somewhere, Sabertooth's reputation would be in jeopardy. And so would mine." Rogue finalized his definition of 'trust' in Sting.
"Tch."
"So," Minerva waved her hand, trying to get the conversation back to where it had started. "What were you doing with a Fairy carrying her like a princess, huh?"
"I wasn't -" Sting started but then of course it was no use. "Spying out the Fairies' gardens, obviously. I just happened upon some blonde who was crying and she, ahh, presented the perfect opportunity to…get to know the students there." He smirked, remembering that girl's trust in him.
Minerva smiled she flicked out a small painting framed with intricate Ancient Egyptian designs. The people within looked exactly like Sting and 'some blonde'.
"Then I expect you to go back and earn that girl's trust. Penetrate the school and gain all the information you can from her and her friends; Because Sabertooth has just received a request from a very RICH employer, and that guy wants Fairy Tail's weakness portrayed over the whole of Fiore. In short, Fairy Tail must die." Minerva nodded approvingly at each painting, tucking them back into the envelope every time she finished looking at one. "It's convenient you arrived at Fairy Tail and met this crying girl, Sting, because now you get to be the one who leads the infiltration. Yukino, I saw that." Yukino had flashed him a jealous look.
Sting grinned, showing his sharp teeth. "Right-o."
/So now I'm the star player in this wealthy game, huh? Wonder who the unlucky Fairy that has to challenge me is going to be?/
Minerva looked satisfied.
-o0o-
"So...Lucy...how do you feel about, you know - that?" Levy ventured to ask. They were sitting in front of the tree that Lucy had slept under (with someone they didn't want to mention) and wasting away for the rest of lunch.
Lucy looked amused. "You know, while I was sleeping" - laying in Sting's arms, actually - "I dreamt Natsu brought me to an amusement park. You were there, both of you, with some other guys… I don't know who they were. As well as others of our friends, yeah…" She smiled at the memory. "And we all had a good time."
The girls waited for her to explain.
"What I mean is, whether I get Natsu or not, he'll still be my friend, right? He's not going to leave anytime soon so… I think I'll just take it slowly and maybe in a year or two, rethink things and see how I feel about him - and how he feels about me." Lucy finished, and there was a contemplative silence.
"That's… that is… a wonderful idea," Wendy beamed.
"No more than what's to expect of my Lu-chan," Levy looked delighted.
Lucy nodded, relieved at her friends' instant approval, then sat back, listening to them chatter. The conversation moved on to other topics, but Lucy only drifted in and out of them, adding an occasional comment when she could.
/I still can't let you go, Natsu. Will you wait for a few years and see what you feel about me?/
-o0o-
"Teams, positions, ready!" Doranbolt summed it all up as the two groups of soccer players raced to their spots to begin the game.
"Now…" Doranbolt said, both teams leaning forwards in anticipation.
Their soccer coach's head turned to the left. "OH, LOOK! Max has arrived, alright Max, I will let Max handle this," and he swivelled around, handed the trumpet speaker to a grinning Max and waved backwards as he made his way to the bench.
Both teams groaned and a couple students fell over. Wendy grinned, amused.
It was the beginning of Fifth Period Soccer. Wendy had been contemplating all Lunch: if Lucy could deal with something like heartbreak, why couldn't Wendy deal with something as simple as sports? She was determined to make it fun and show that Brat that she was not all meekness and brains, but she was actually good for something active like Soccer. And now she was again a forward with Erza, waiting eagerly for the game to begin...
...If only Max would let it. He kept talking about the history of the game (which he had most likely searched up during lunch) and after that, described each goal scored in the previous games before lunch (he claimed it would 'get their adrenaline rushing') and finished off with a flourish of a two-page poem about sportsmanship, which in all took about seven long and excruciating minutes in itself.
"MAX! Would you let us start already!?" yelled multiple students.
"Alright, alright, last goal was scored by Loke's team! Romeo and Clarke are his team's forwards! They get the ball, and get ready… TWEET!"
Romeo and his friend Clarke both made moves for the ball, kicking it down the field with barely any need for the support of the rest of their team.
"Aaaand, Loke's forwards are once again making the chase down the field towards their opponents' goal! Kicking it expertly back and forth, knocking it against opposing players' legs - they are pro at this…"
Groaning at their speed, Wendy and Erza both headed after them. The redhead made it farther faster and diverted the ball into Warren's team's possession, angering Clarke. The rest of Loke's midfielders surged down the field, just in time to overpower Erza and some other members of Warren's team. Wendy heard Erza snap, "Kuso!" as the 'reinforcements' dived in.
Pretty soon the whole team was defending Warren's goal, Wendy realized with a shock. It was basically a 100-0 chance of Loke winning, them losing - Wendy couldn't allow it. It would be like giving up and letting Romeo win - AGAIN. She searched for a weak point - any weak point - but Romeo was just too… experienced, she gritted her teeth.
Suddenly Gray burst out of the crowd of players. Before she could react, he was speeding down the field, and - /NO WAY!/ - he was kicking with him a black-and-white blur.
The ball! Wendy smiled widely and raced to defend him, watching in admiration as the tables were turned and her team cooperated, maneuvering the ball down towards Loke's goal.
The game had turned into an offensive match, with both teams showing talent even if the probabilities were not 50-50. Loke's team had the better forwards, better goalie, better players as well - the males did not want to be outdone by a 12 year old boy, the girls wanted to please Loke. But Erza was putting up a good fight along with other members, and -
"Wendy!" Gray had been heading her way, but he was surrounded by members of the opposing team who were quickly closing in a circle around him.
With a determined nod she ran forwards as he passed the ball towards her. She looked around quickly. Many students were heading her way but there was still a spot open, where Erza was standing with an amused look. The girl who was supposed to be guarding her was instead gazing towards Loke with dreamy eyes.
/Thanks, Loke/ Wendy grinned and kicked the ball.
It rolled to a stop five feet away from the redhead and Romeo zoomed towards it, a smirk on his boyish face. "ERZA!" Wendy screamed.
Fortunately the redhead blocked Romeo and gained the ball just in time. Wendy slumped in relief as she passed it over to another teammate who scored. The whistle blew and her team let out a loud cheer! Their first point of the game!
Wendy smiled as she walked back to their side of the field, her team cheering loudly and giving hi-fives all around.
Gray moved over towards Wendy. "You saved my butt out there, thank you."
Wendy blushed. Had it really been that important? "N-no, you did a good job!" she protested, "The thanks should go to you!"
The black-haired youth raised a hand to the back of his head. "Uhh, all the same, then!"
"Un!"
"Alright then. Let's do as well in the next game, ne?" At this Wendy grinned.
"Hai, Gray-kun!" Wendy gazed up at him as he returned the smile. /He's just like an ani./
-o0o-
Romeo and Andrew, the one Wendy saw flirting with Talia Finch, watched her receive multiple pats on the head and hugs.
"She didn't even score - it was just a pass," Andrew sniffed. He was the one who had been closest to stealing the ball from Gray, when suddenly the girl had received the ball and followed up with the redhead kicking to another player who scored a goal.
"I'm sure it's just special treatment." Andrew looked at Romeo, surprised.
"Why would she get special treatment?"
"Because she's a little girl," the dark haired boy replied. They watched her being caressed and complimented for a moment more before Romeo heaved a sigh and called out, hands cupped around his mouth, "HEY WARREN! GET YOUR TEAM IN PLACE AND LET'S GET STARTED! Sheesh," he rolled his eyes and lowered his voice so only people nearby could hear him. "They sure are slow."
As a much respected and crushed on male, he was used to games going quickly, with many competitors or teammates who were either dying to show him their skill or beat him at the game. He almost always won, of course, and proud of it. At the pace this game was going, though, it would be years before they even got into a really good game that made him sweat.
-o0o-
Wendy walked to the girls changeroom, willing her legs to keep still. She was certain if she fell over or gave any sign of tiredness, Romeo would notice and make some sinister remark on it. But in truth, her legs ached and so did her head.
The rest of the block had flown by, and Wendy was happy when it was finally over. It was more than her small body could handle, although Romeo seemed to be doing fine - he even looked a bit bored.
/It was no secret at our old schools that he was the top athlete,/ Wendy thought as he stole the ball from Alzack. /He's probably more accustomed to more exciting and fast-paced games instead of this one. Even I can catch up as long as I take a break every once in awhile to catch my breath.
That was what she had thought at the beginning.
Soon the blood was rushing to her head and the quick pumping of her heart caused her to feel dizzy and sore, her muscles and heart not used to such exercise. She gripped the doorknob of the changeroom, pausing for one moment to regain her sense of balance. "Urrrrgggh…"
"Wendy-chan, are you alright?" The bluenette looked up as Romeo stepped closer, smiling. Her spine snapped straight, giving no sign of illness or uncomfort.
"Who said we were on a first name basis?" Wendy croaked out.
He looked shy. "Uhh, is there something wrong with that?"
/Nani…./ Wendy stared up at him. Just then a sharp pain erupted in her legs and she bent over, clutching her stomach. /N-not… not in front of the Brat!/
"Here," and to her surprise he was holding out a box of little pills, "It's good for muscle pain."
Giving him a weird look, she reached out one hand and gripped it tightly, sliding down to the grassy ground before popping open the lid. She stuck one in her mouth without reading the directions on the package.
He sat down next to her. "Um, on the English exam… how much did you score?"
Wendy gaped. /Why does he want to know that!?/ Still, there was no harm in answering. "E-eighty-seven percent, I think."
Romeo nodded. "I got eighty-six."
There was an awkward silence as each of them contemplated. Each had just gotten an A (86% and up).
"I guess we're both suckish at English," Romeo said thoughtfully.
"You suck more than I do," Wendy replied stiffly.
Romeo jerked up and yelled back, "That's not true! It was just because of a stupid question! I was going to get it right but I ran out of time!"
For a moment Wendy was stunned, but decided it was best that he showed his angry side than put on a display of...friendship….or something. "I'm still better at English," she responded, jumping up and pointing an accusing finger at him. "And you're not supposed to pretend that a BRATTY boy can be smarter than a hard-working girl!"
"So my pills really did work, huh?"
Wendy blinked "What?" Then realization dawned on her. "It's not because of your stupid pills and I was not sick!"
Romeo's face returned to his trademark smirk. "Suit yourself." He got up and stretched, then walked away to change with the other guys.
/...Arrogant juvenile./
-o0o-
A small girl bent down in the bushes, not making a single sound. Stealth was her ally. She peered over the blooms of a Japanese azalea plant.
"The boy is leaving," her hushed voice breathed, words directed to the stuffed Maltese clutched in her arms. It replied with a silence that only the small girl could understand. Her gloved fingers clenched into fists, and her arms tightened their hug around the dog.
"He has a smile on his face."
A/N So how was it? Really short? Boring? Interesting? Sting-kun is a queer turn of events. But yes, my darlings, STICY HAS ARRIVED! I kinda got the name of the chapter because Sting was carrying Lucy bridal style, or like a princess, so he's the prince. And Romeo gave Wendy pills... is it a show of concern, or some sort of bratty trick? AND WHO WAS THAT GIRL!? Nah, you'll find out later!
I'm sorry for making it so short! I promise I'll update with an extra-long chapter next time!
And by the way, school's starting soon. I'm actually kinda excited... :P Tell me what kinda things you want to have this story include? Any suggestions will be fabulous!
Until next time, my lovely cherries,
~suzukanachronicles